DEV Community

Nabeel Saleem
Nabeel Saleem

Posted on

🚀 15 Free Developer Tools I Actually Use (So You Don’t Have To Google Everything)

As developers, we spend a ridiculous amount of time context-switching. One minute you’re debugging JSON, next minute you’re resizing images, then suddenly you need to encode a URL or generate a cron job.

And of course… we Google it every time.

After getting tired of opening random sketchy tools, I started bookmarking clean, privacy-first utilities that just work. Recently, I discovered SimpliConvert, a growing toolbox of small utilities that actually solve real dev problems.

Here are 15+ tools I personally found useful — with real scenarios where they save time.

1️⃣ JSON Formatter & Validator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/json_formatter_and_validator/

Ever received an API response that looks like this?

{"id":1,"name":"John","roles":["admin","editor"],"active":true}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Good luck debugging that.

This tool:

  • Beautifies JSON
  • Highlights syntax errors
  • Validates structure instantly

Why I use it:
When an API fails, this helps me instantly spot missing commas, broken quotes, or invalid nesting.

2️⃣ SQL Formatter Online

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/sql_formatter_online/

Messy SQL queries are impossible to debug:

select * from users where id=1 and status='active'
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

After formatting:

SELECT *
FROM users
WHERE id = 1
  AND status = 'active'
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Perfect for:

  • Database debugging
  • Code reviews
  • Cleaning legacy queries

3️⃣ Base64 Encoder & Decoder

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/base64_encoder_decoder_online/

We all deal with:

  • JWT tokens
  • Auth headers
  • Encoded images

This tool lets you:

  • Encode plain text → Base64
  • Decode Base64 → readable data

Use case:
Debugging API headers and decoding payloads without writing scripts.

4️⃣ URL Encoder / Decoder

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/url_encoder_decoder_online/

Spaces in URLs?
Special characters breaking APIs?

This converts:

Hello World!
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

To:

Hello%20World%21
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Super useful for:

  • API query strings
  • Tracking URLs
  • Redirect testing

5️⃣ Unix Timestamp Converter

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/unix_timestamp_converter_online/

Convert:

1704680000
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

To:

Monday, Jan 8, 2026 – 10:13 AM

Why it matters:
Logs, backend events, analytics dashboards — timestamps everywhere.

6️⃣ JavaScript KeyCode Checker

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/javascript_keycode_checker/

Ever wondered:

What key code is "Enter"?

This tool shows:

  • Key
  • KeyCode
  • Event data

Helpful when building:

  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Games
  • Accessibility features

7️⃣ Markdown Editor

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/markdown_editor/

Preview markdown in real time:

  • GitHub README
  • Documentation
  • Blog posts

Why I like it:

  • Live preview
  • Clean UI
  • No ads

8️⃣ Meta Tag Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/meta_tag_generator/

SEO is boring… but important.

This tool generates:

  • OpenGraph tags
  • Twitter cards
  • Meta descriptions

Perfect for:

  • Side projects
  • Landing pages
  • Blog posts

9️⃣ Cron Job Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/cron_job_generator/

Instead of memorizing:

*/5 * * * *
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Just click options:

  • Every 5 minutes
  • Daily at 2AM
  • Weekly backups

It generates valid cron syntax.

🔟 UUID Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/uuid_generator_online/

Need random IDs?

Generate:

  • UUID v4
  • Secure
  • No backend

Used for:

  • Database IDs
  • Session tokens
  • Test data

11️⃣ Compare Text Files Online

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/compare_text_files_online/

This tool:

  • Highlights differences
  • Shows added/removed lines

Great for:

  • Config files
  • JSON responses
  • Version comparisons

12️⃣ CSS Gradient Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/css_gradient_background_generator/

Instead of trial-and-error:

  • Pick colors
  • Adjust angle
  • Copy CSS

Output:

background: linear-gradient(45deg, #ff6b6b, #5f27cd);
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

13️⃣ CSS Box Shadow Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/css_box_shadow_generator/

Designers will love this:

  • Live preview
  • Copy CSS
  • Multiple layers

No more guessing shadow values.

14️⃣ Pixels to REM Converter

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/pixels_to_rem_converter/

Responsive design helper:

16px → 1rem
24px → 1.5rem
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Why it matters:

  • Accessibility
  • Responsive UI
  • Scalable typography

15️⃣ Image to Base64 Converter

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/image_to_base64_converter/

Upload image → get Base64 string.

Used for:

  • Email templates
  • Inline assets
  • API testing

16️⃣ JSON to CSV Converter

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/json_to_csv_converter_online/

Turn API responses into spreadsheets.

Perfect for:

  • Data analysis
  • Reports
  • Non-tech stakeholders

17️⃣ Robots.txt Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/robots_txt_generator/

SEO tool but helpful for devs too:

  • Allow/disallow rules
  • Sitemap reference

Generates production-ready file.

18️⃣ HTML Tag Stripper

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/html_tag_stripper/

Convert:

<p>Hello <b>world</b></p>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

To:

Hello world
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Useful for:

  • Cleaning CMS data
  • Email content
  • Scraping tasks

19️⃣ Password Generator

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/password_generator/

Generate:

  • Strong passwords
  • Custom length
  • Symbols included

For:

  • Dev accounts
  • Test users
  • Security testing

20️⃣ Free Online Word Counter

👉 https://simpliconvert.com/free_online_word_counter/

Not just for writers:

  • API docs
  • README limits
  • Tweet drafts

Why I Like These Tools

What stands out:

✔ No login
✔ Fast loading
✔ Client-side processing
✔ Clean UI
✔ No creepy tracking

As devs, we value:

  • Speed
  • Simplicity
  • Privacy

These tools respect that.

When Do These Tools Save Real Time?

Here are real dev moments:

🔹 Debugging broken API JSON
🔹 Formatting ugly SQL queries
🔹 Encoding auth headers
🔹 Creating cron jobs
🔹 Fixing CSS shadows
🔹 Converting timestamps
🔹 Cleaning scraped HTML
🔹 Preparing demo data

Instead of writing scripts…
You just paste → click → done.

Bonus: Calculators Developers Actually Use

A few from SimpliConvert’s calculator section I found useful:

  • ROI Calculator → project profitability
  • Hourly to Salary → freelancing
  • Work Hours Calculator → time tracking
  • Break-even Calculator → SaaS pricing
  • Inflation Calculator → budgeting

Yes, devs care about money too 😄

Final Thoughts

We build amazing things, but we still waste time on tiny tasks:

  • Formatting
  • Converting
  • Encoding
  • Calculating

Having reliable micro-tools saves mental energy.

If you’re tired of:

  • Writing throwaway scripts
  • Installing random npm packages
  • Visiting shady converter sites

👉 Bookmark SimpliConvert.

You’ll thank yourself later.

💬 Your Turn

What tool do you Google every week?

  • JSON formatter?
  • Timestamp converter?
  • Cron generator?

Drop it in comments — I might test it next.

webdev

developers

productivity

tools

javascript

Top comments (0)